The Minister of Energy, Awais Leghari Radio Pakistan.
Speaking Thursday during a workshop in Islamabad, the minister said that the government had reduced electricity prices for industrial consumers by more than 30% in the past year, with the aim of improving the commercial environment and supporting economic growth.
Leghari also shared government plans to privatize electricity distribution companies, adding that the recent drop in online losses was an encouraging development.
Stressing the transition to cleaner energy, the Minister said that the government had recently closed 3,000 megawatts of power plants based on an important step towards the adoption of renewable energies.
He also announced that around 27,000 agricultural tubular alloys in Balutchistan would be converted into solar energy in the next two to three months, as part of continuous efforts to promote sustainable energy solutions in the province.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged Pakistan not to offer additional subsidies to the electricity sector in the next federal budget for the 2010-26 financial year.
Sources told The Express PK Press Club That the world lender is pressure on the government to allow the Ministry of Energy to take effective measures to stop the accumulation of circular debt.
With the imminent federal budget, the government has assured the IMF of radical economic reforms, including the increase in fuel, electricity and gas prices.
The officials claim that the government plans to implement a series of budgetary measures from July 1, aimed at reducing the budget deficit and tackling the country’s energy sector debt.
